Children's play is a universal human activity, and one that serves a significant purpose in personal development.

Throughout this volume, which is an extension of the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Jean Piaget Society, the editors and contributors explore assumptions about play and its status as a unique and universal activity in humans.

As a whole, Play and Development delves into three lines of research concerning this topic: examining these assumptions from an ethological perspective, exploring the view of research that shows play to be socially and culturally constructed, and looking at varied applications of play in the different contexts of childhood.

Topics covered in this volume include:

• evolutionary foundations and functions of play
• children's play as cultural interpretation
• the use of imagination in children's play
• the imaginary companions created by children and adults

This volume will be of interest to scholars and researchers in the fields of developmental psychology and cognitive development, and will be sought out by active researchers and practitioners in the field.